GB2507260A

GB2507260A - A vessel for cleaning products comprising a recyclable insert

Info

Publication number: GB2507260A
Application number: GB1218686.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Anthony Rees
Original assignee: ALLERCIDE Ltd
Current assignee: ALLERCIDE Ltd
Priority date: 2012-10-18
Filing date: 2012-10-18
Publication date: 2014-04-30
Also published as: GB201218686D0

Abstract

A vessel (e.g. a trigger spray bottle) has one or more openings for the application of fluids. The vessel further comprises a recyclable porous scaffold (1) impregnated with chemicals that can be released, dissolved, rehydrated or re-suspended from a dried form or from a concentrated liquid form by the addition of water, for example by the end user. The vessel also comprises a means for adding water to the vessel, a means for closing one or more openings in the vessel a means for adding further impregnated scaffolds and a means of expelling the released, dissolved, rehydrated or re-suspended from the vessel. A weight (5) may be attached to the scaffold by a string (4) to aid removal of scaffold from the vessel.

Description

RECYCLABLE INSERT FOR CLEANING PRODUCTS

Trigger spray bottles are a common way to present household and industrial cleaning products and pesticides in an easy to use way. Cleaning agents frequently used in trigger sprays include bleach, disinfectants, detergents, degreasers, protease and lipase enzymes, denaturants, acaricides and anti-microbials for control of bacteria, fungi and viruses on domestic work surfaces, medical, veterinary, agricultural, horticultural and industrial environments. Nearly all products are aqueous solutions with the active ingredients bcing in relatively low amounts compared to the volume of water. Trigger spray bottles for household use typically hold a volume of between 500 to 750m1 of product and weigh up to 900g including bottle, trigger spray head and contents.

Despite being convenient for the end user, trigger spray products represent significant problems for retailers, distributors, freight companies and manufacturers due to the weight of the product which is almost entirely due to the water content. In addition, further problems regarding the transportation of liquid based products includes leakage due to deformation of the bottle during storage or transportation, evaporation and contamination by micro-organisms. The weight of consumer products supplied as trigger sprays means it is often impractical for sale via internet retailers as the cost of delivery to the end user is prohibitive for often low value products.

The transportation of liquid products in trigger spray bottles has a significant environmental impact especially where product is shipped by road or air. Also, aqueous solutions require control of microbiological growth by the use of biocides to ensure that the product remains free of micro-organisms following manufacture and to ensure a long shelf life for retailers and end users. Any methods by which the environmental impact from transportation of heavy bottles and the addition of biocides can be minimised offers significant ecological benefits.

The invention described here is designed to reduce the environmental impact of trigger spray products by removing the need for the product to contain water or other solvents at the point of manufacture and potentially eliminating the need for the addition ofbiocides as microorganisms are generally unable to proliferate at a significant rate in the absence of water.

The accompanying diagrams are presented to help the reader identif' the preferred embodiments of the current invention.

Figure 1 is an illustration of a cube shaped porous scaffold (1).

Figure 2 shows a porous cube scaffold (1) attached to a flexible cord (4) with weighted end (5).

Figure 3 illustrates a cylindrical or torus shaped porous scaffold (1) with orifice (2) through which can pass the stem of a trigger spray head.

Figurc 4 shows a plurality of cylindrical or torus shapcd porous scaffolds (1) separated by an impermeable adhesive disc (3).

The current invention consists of a vessel with one or more openings, such as a trigger spray bottle, that contains a recyclable porous scaffold (1). The advantage of an inert porous scaffold is that the scaffold removes the need for the manufacturer to dispense powdered ingredients into each vessel and can also be used as a carrier for ingredients that are not solids at room temperature.

In a first embodiment of the current invention the active chemical ingredients are presented in a dried or concentrated liquid form within said porous scaffold wherein said chemicals can be released, dissolved, rehydrated or resuspended free of the scaffold material by the addition of a fixed or variable volume of water through one of the openings in the vessel by the end user.

In a second embodiment of the invention the scaffold can also be made of a porous material that either dissolves when watcr is added by the end user or can be recycled either within the container or removed for recycling separately.

In a further embodiment of the current invention said porous material in addition to said chemicals also contains a soluble dye which produces a coloured solution when water is added by the end user so that the amount of spray dispensed can be easily appreciated.

In yet a further embodiment of the current invention the porous scaffold contains soluble ingredients with anti-microbial properties to assist with prolonging the shelf life of the spray after reconstitution with water by the end user.

In a further embodiment of the present invention the said porous scaffold is retained within one or more caps or trigger spray head and the chemicals released from said scaffold when water is added to the vessel, the trigger spray head or cap is then attached securely and the closed vessel shaken or inverted to reconstitute the chemicals into the water.

In a further embodiment of the current invention the porous scaffold is manufactured from a biodegradable materials such as cellulose.

In yet a further embodiment of the current invention the porous scaffold expands in the presence of water, for example compressed cellulose sponge, to a size larger than the openings of said vessel effectively trapping the said porous scaffold within said vessel, once water has been added by the end user.

In a further embodiment of the present invention the said porous scaffold is attached to the interior surface of the vessel by means of an adhesive present on the porous scaffold or affixed to said vessel by a mouldcd restraint or clip.

In a preferred embodiment of the current invention the porous scaffold is shaped like a torus or cylinder where the stem of a trigger head is able to pass through an orifice in the porous scaffold (2).

In a furthcr cmbodimcnt thc porous scaffold is manufacturcd from solublc matcrials such as sugars, agarose or water soluble synthetic materials commonly used for encapsulation of laundry and dishwasher detergents so that when water is added the scaffold together with ingredients dissolve to form a single solution.

In yet a further embodiment of the current invention one or more of the said porous scaffolds may be presented external to the vessel. This is of particular relevance to refill packs consisting of one or more impregnated porous scaffolds which can be purchased by the end user separately to the said vessel. Being able to decide when and where to reconstitute has particular applications when water availability is restricted and or carrying large quantities of liquids is not possible, such as on expeditions, travelling by air or military logistics.

Examples of suitable porous scaffolds would be natural sponges and cellulose based absorbents or gels such as agarose as well as synthetic foam polymers such as those used as clinical swabs or materials used as wicking material in air freshener diffusers and homc pregnancy test kits.

For some applications it may be desirable for the said porous scaffold to be smaller than the openings of said vessels to aid with insertion and removal. Tn other circumstances it could be desirable that the said porous scaffold is larger in size than the openings of said vessels so that once inserted into the vessel, the porous scaffold cannot easily fall out, increasing product safety in the presence of children and animals. The latter can be achieved by the porous scaffold being manufactured from compressible materials such a natural or synthetic sponge or foam, allowing insertion into thc vessel whereupon the porous scaffold returns to its original sizc. To simpli' removal of the porous scaffold (1) from the vessel for recycling, a length of cord made from natural or synthetic materials (4) or stick can be attached to the porous scaffold so that when the vessel is empty and inverted the user can pull the string or stick to remove the porous scaffold from the vessel. A weight (5) of dimensions smaller than the openings of the vessel may be attached to the string (4) so that the string more easily falls from the vessel by gravity.

In a further embodiment of the current invention the ingredients are presented in a plurality of said porous scaffolds either separate or affixed by an adhesive layer (3), so that chemicals that react together when mixed can be kept separate within discrete porous scaffolds until water is added.

Example: Allercide Anti-Allergy Spray Denaturants such as tannic acid are widely known to cause allergens from pets and house dust mites to become non allergenic by interfering with the tertiary protein structure and preventing the expression of isotopes to allergen specific immunoglobulin E (IgE antibodies) in sensitised individuals. A 10% w/v solution of tannic acid was made by dissolving 20g oftannic acid in 200m1 of cold water together with Kathon CG® preservative at concentrations recommended by the manufacturer.

Hydrophilic synthetic foam cubes (1) such as those used for medical swabs, of side dimension 38mm were impregnated with a 5m1 aliquot of the 10% tannic acid solution and allowed to dry at room temperature for 24 hours. Each foam cube was then placed into a 500m1 trigger spray bottle, compressing the foam cube to fit through the 20mm diameter opening. Once inside the bottle, the cube expands to its normal size and remains trapped within the bottle. The trigger spray head is then attached. In use, the trigger spray head is firstly detached and 50 to 500m1 of cold tap water is added to the bottle. The trigger spray head is then firmly reattached and following several inversions of the bottle the tannie acid dissolves forming a homogeneous 0.1% to 1% w/v solution ready to use. For convenience, the end user can vary the volume of water added to adjust the concentration of the final solution depending on application required.

Claims

Claims: 1. A vessel with one or more openings for the application of fluids, which vessel consists of; a. A recyclable porous scaffold impregnated with chemicals that can be released, dissolved, rehydrated or resuspended from a dried or concentrated liquid form by the addition of water; b. A means of adding water to the vessel; c. A means of closing one or more openings in the vessel; d. A means of adding thrther said impregnated porous scaffolds to said vessel; and e. A means of expelling the said rdeased, disso'ved, rehydrated or resuspended chemicals from said vessel.
2. A vessel according to claim I wherein said vessel is a trigger spray bottle.
3. A vessel according to any previous claims wherein said porous scaffold is originally contained within said vessel.
4. A vessel according to any previous claims wherein said porous scaffold is presented externally and separately to said vessel.
5. A porous scaffold according any previous claims wherein said chemicals comprise of at least one anti-microbial ingredient.
6. A porous scaffold according to any previous claims wherein said chemicals comprise of at least one cleaning agent.
7. A porous scaffold according to any previous claims wherein said chemicals comprise of at least one coloured dye.
8. A porous scaffold according to any previous claims wherein said chemicals comprise of an ingredient that denatures proteins.
9. A porous scaffold according to any previous claims wherein said protein denaturant is tannie acid.
10. A porous scaffold according to any previous claims wherein said chemicals comprise of at least one ingredient that renden allergens non allergenic
11. A porous scaffold according to any previous claims wherein said chemicals comprise of at least one acaricide.
12. A vessel according to any preceding claims wherein said porous seafibld normally has dimensions larger than the external opening of said vessel but can be compressed to pass through the opening in said vessel.
13. A porous scaffold according to any preceding claims wherein said porous scaffold has dimensions smaller than the external opening of said vessel.
14. A porous scaffold according to any preceding claims wherein said porous scaffold is made of natural materials.
15. A porous scaffold according to any preceding claims wherein said porous scaffold is made of synthetic materials.
16. A porous scaffold according to any preceding claims wherein said porous scaffold is constructed from hydrophilic materials.
17. A porous scaffold according to any preceding claims wherein said porous scaffold is retained within the cap or removable closure of said vessel.
18. A vessel according to any preceding claims wherein said porous scaffbld is able to move freely within said container.
19. A vessel according to any preceding claims wherein said porous seafibld is attached to the interior of said vessel.
20. A vessel according to any preceding claims wherein said porous scaffbld is a torus or other shape comprising of a hole through which the trigger head stem can pass.
21. A vessel according to any previous claims where said porous scaffold dissolves or becomes dispersed by the addition of water.
22. A vessel according to any previous claims where said porous scaffold can be removed for recycling.
23. A vessel according to any previous claims where said porous scaffold can be recycled without removal fivm containcr.
24. A vessel according to any preceding claims wherein said porous scaffbld is biodegradable.
25. A vessel according to any preceding claims wherein multiple porous scaffolds containing the same or different chemicals.
26. A vessel according to any preceding claims wherein said multiple porous scaffolds are physically joined together.
27. A vessel according to any preceding claims wherein said porous scaffold is an integral part of said container.
28. A vessel according to any previous claims wherein said porous scaffold is compressible.
29. A vessel according to any previous claims wherein said porous scaffold changes it volume when water is added.
30. An assortment or plurality of vessels and said porous scaffolds according to any previous claims.